You aren't getting HYS, CC are possible, but why not just apply to the rest of the T-14 and see who throws you the most money? If I were you I would not ED. You may end up getting serious $$$ at the lower T-14, and you could still satisfy your (stupid) craving to prove yourself to others. Honestly, I think it's pretty sad that you need to go to a top school to prove yourself to others because you didn't go to a prestigious undergrad. You should go to a top school for the excellent job prospects.

...but then you'll probably be paying sticker. Are you sure you want to be in debt so long?

3. Re: NYU preftige. No one knows the University of Chicago is better than the University of Detroit if you're talking to lay people. So uh...believe in yourself! Then you don't have to carry haters around on your shoulder.

4. Why not work for a year and retake? A 172 will make you a lock (8 out of at NYU and Chicago (4 out of 5). You aren't going to die if you start law school when you're 23. And a year working will give you more responsibility and, if a good job, a better chance of employment. Also stronger resume overall.

So I vote "Apply, see what happens, then if they don't give you any scholly go work and retake."

Unagi wrote:Apply to all T14 and go after the $$$.Doesn't Cornell have lay prestige too? You'll probably get some money from them.

+1. I wouldn't ED. Instead, RD to CCN and the lower T14 and see who gives you money. NYU will cost you in excess of 250k at sticker. I personally think that 60k+ at a lower T14 would be better than sticker at NYU. Also, lay prestige doesn't matter in the slightest. You are going to be hired by attorneys, not by generic white collar professionals. I think you stand a great chance at money from MVP and a near certain chance of money from DCNG.

Unagi wrote:Apply to all T14 and go after the $$$.Doesn't Cornell have lay prestige too? You'll probably get some money from them.

+1. I wouldn't ED. Instead, RD to CCN and the lower T14 and see who gives you money. NYU will cost you in excess of 250k at sticker. I personally think that 60k+ at a lower T14 would be better than sticker at NYU. Also, lay prestige doesn't matter in the slightest. You are going to be hired by attorneys, not by generic white collar professionals. I think you stand a great chance at money from MVP and a near certain chance of money from DCNG.

I understand the temptation to be swayed by lay prestige, but OP stop thinking this way. Do you think after law school anyone outside of the field is going to know the difference between Wachtell and Milbank? No. Chill out, just RD and see what happens. Not cracking the T6 is not some sort of abhorrent failure.

Also please do not feel sorry for yourself. You have worked very hard and have respectable stats. Don't forget that a 170 is a great score and outside of the TLS echo-chamber (no knock on TLS by the way) many would kill for it. The difference in outcomes between NYU and many of the other T14 is minimal, but the difference in $$ could be great - which will have a huge impact on your quality of life and flexibility coming out of law school.

I don't think many K-JD's truly understand the difference that lower debt will have on your ability to do many of the things that make a job worth it in the first place (travel, entertainment, good food, a nice place to live, etc.).

If you ED, you forgo the chance to get a sizable scholarship from certain schools. And if you get into NYU RD, you are no worse off than you would be by applying ED. Also, as was pointed out earlier, there is not a statistically provable bump for NYU ED that we can see.

Overall it is just not worth the risk. Go RD and then you'll have options.

Do not make excuses for the negative things that have occurred to you in your life, and conversely take all the credit (which you deserve!) for the positive things that have happened to you. You have worked hard. Don't wave the flag of surrender by ED-ing to NYU.

Good luck!

Edit: grammar

Last edited by lawschool22 on Fri Nov 15, 2013 1:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Also please do not feel sorry for yourself. You have worked very hard and have respectable stats. Don't forget that a 170 is a great score and outside of the TLS echo-chamber (no knock on TLS by the way) many would kill for it. The difference in outcomes between NYU and many of the other T14 is minimal, but the difference in $$ could be great - which will have a huge impact on your quality of life and flexibility coming out of law school.

I don't think many K-JD's truly understand the difference that lower debt will have on your ability to do many of the things that makes a job worth it in the first place (travel, entertainment, good food, a nice place to live, etc.).

If you ED, you forgo the chance to get a sizable scholarship from certain schools. And if you get into NYU RD, you were no worse off than you would be by applying ED. Also, as was pointed out earlier, there is not a statistically provable bump for NYU ED that we can see.

Overall it is just not worth the risk. Go RD and then you'll have options.

Do not make excuses for the negative things that have occurred to you in your life, and conversely take all the credit (which you deserve!) for the positive things that have happened to you. You have worked hard. Don't wave the flag of surrender by ED-ing to NYU.

Good luck!

Thank you for your kind advice. Yes, I think I am going to chicken out and not ED. I am a fucking neurotic mess right now but I appreciate your kindness. Have a great day!

Don't think of it as chickening out. Think of it as making the logical choice supported by facts as opposed to an irrational decision dictated by emotion. As a lawyer this is large part the way you should be thinking.

Just apply to the entire T-14 - you have good chances everywhere and it sounds like a lot of these schools can fit your varied goals.

And I agree - don't retake. It's clear you have maxed out your LSAT potential. Congrats on having made it all the way up from the 130's to this. A 30 to 40 point improvement is, to say the least, mind-boggling. Many people can barely get a 5 to 10 point improvement, let alone that kind of jump.

The tone of this post makes me think you're trying to decide whether to buy food for your starving children or pay the electric bill to keep operating your husband's iron lung.

Calm down. Apply to NYU on down. Let go of this hysterical hand-wringing about prestige and proving yourself--the only prestige that matters is the kind that gets you a job. Laypeople think ANY law school is impressive (lol at them). Lawyers will respect NYU or whatever other T14 just fine.

RD everywhere sounds like a better idea. You will probably get decent money from lower schools that are still great choices with tons of lay prestige. Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Penn, Berkeley...all are really recognizable if name brand is what you're looking for. And you still have a decent shot of getting into NYU, if that's what you really want. Either way, you really will have a good cycle with plenty of excellent options if you throw your net wide.

I have a related question. I (very stupidly) applied ED to NYU. I thought I was in a weaker position for acceptance than I actually was; now I understand that it's probable I would have been accepted RD. Browsing LSN, I see that others with my numbers have gotten significant scholarship money from lower T-14s.

NYU is my top pick school for a number of reasons -- I live and work in the city, and my friends and support network are there. I love the village, and if I'm going to spend three years of my life somewhere, location matters to me. I would strongly prefer to work in NYC after graduating, hopefully in a large firm (I'm open to relocating, but my life is here in NY).

Still, I'm thinking about withdrawing my NYU app and trying my luck at a lower T-14 for scholarship money. I'm conflicted, because NYU is the school I want to go to, hands down. That I would even consider withdrawing would be unthinkable to me a few months ago. But now I'm experiencing a bit of sticker shock.